Promotion server using streaming media channel

ABSTRACT

Idle video-on-demand (VOD) and/or other streaming media channel capacity is used to deliver promotional content to selected set-top boxes (STBs) in a cable television network. Commercial segment cues are used to instruct a set-top box to switch away from a broadcast program to the streaming media channel during a commercial segment, and then switch back again to the original broadcast program at the end of the segment. 
     More particularly, a promotion server determines an asset to be distributed such as a targeted promotion item (e.g., a commercial), and a list of STBs that are to receive it. The promotion server causes the video promotion content to be stored in VOD/streaming media servers located at the head ends. A scheduler process then delivers schedule messages to head end message servers which identify each promotion asset, and an STB which is to receive it. The head end message server notifies its associated VOD/streaming media server which then cues the asset by loading the asset, starting the asset, but pausing it. Prior to the occurrence of a commercial slot in a broadcast program, an asset trigger is inserted into the broadcast stream at the head end. This asset trigger contains general information concerning the asset to be sent, and an idle VOD/streaming media channel number. The STB receives the asset trigger and readies itself to tune to the VOD/streaming media channel when cued for at the beginning of a commercial segment, but does not yet tune to the VOD/streaming media channel. Upon detection of a commercial cue tone in the broadcast channel, the head end message server sends a tune away trigger to the STB, and also instructs the VOD/streaming media server to start playing the cued promotion. When the STB receives a tune away trigger, it switches from the broadcast channel being played to the selected idle VOD/streaming media channel, and the promotion is viewed.

RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.10/003,079, filed Nov. 2, 2001, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 60/253,350, filed on Nov. 28, 2000.

The entire teachings of the above application(s) are incorporated hereinby reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to broadcast systems such as cabletelevision networks and more particularly to a technique forcoordinating the insertion of specific video content, including targetedcommercial or other promotional video content, over idle video-on-demandchannels.

For many years it has been realized that cable television (CATV) systemsprovide numerous advantages as compared to over-the-air broadcastsystems. First, these cable systems were valued for their ability toprovide for reception of signals in remote rural locations, or whereradio signals may be blocked, such as in dense high rise apartmentbuildings. Later, it was realized that by incorporating long distancecommunications equipment, such as orbital satellite transponderequipment, centralized distribution networks could be built that notonly could route local channels more reliably, but also distributeprogram content on a nation-wide basis. This gave rise to broadcastprogram content which is available strictly for the cable televisionsubscriber, and the now widely familiar movie, news, weather, music,childrens, sports, family and other program-gendre-specific cablechannels.

The present trend is towards a model where the reception devices in thehome will include embedded computer systems designed for a particularfunction or purpose. Today, for example, set-top boxes typically havelimited data communication capabilities. The main function of thesedevices is to handle channel access between residential users and a headend or server on the cable TV network. For example, these systems aretypically deployed to offer certain types of premium services, such asvideo-on-demand. This service allows a viewer to use a menu system toselect from a variety of typically pre-recorded premium programs thatmay be available, such as movies or sporting events. The selectedprogram content is then immediately delivered to the viewer overchannels dedicated to delivery of the video-on-demand content.

In the future, the functionality offered by these set-top boxes or otherembedded platforms will be expanded even further. For example, they mayoffer Internet browsing capabilities and e-commerce servingcapabilities. Moreover, it is anticipated that common-householdappliances will also have computer network functionality, in which casethe set-top boxes may be used to remotely control and automate varioustasks in the home.

Indeed, millions of digital set-top boxes have already been deployed inthe United States. It is estimated that the worldwide market forInternet appliances such as digital set-top boxes and otherInternet-connected terminals will reach $17.8 billion in 2004.Increasingly, advertisers and content providers therefore view the cableset-top as the first platform of choice for widespread delivery of asuite of intelligent content management and distribution services.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a system for delivery of targeted content suchas promotional video content to a cable television viewer, where thespecific content is under control of the a central operator and theviewer is not necessarily aware of the targeted nature of the content.

Consider that the digital set-top box provides interestingfunctionalities, including the ability to collect data such as a log ofthe channels watched over time. The set top box can thus be designed toreport this information to a central location. At the central location,this data can be aggregated for many hundreds of thousands of users.This information, when coupled with other information, such as viewerdemographics, can then be used by advertisers to blanket defined marketsegments with promotional content. The delivery of promotions tospecific target segments can thus allow for impulse responses yieldingimmediate increases in product revenues.

However, a nationwide cable television network may have hundreds ofthousands, if not millions of set-top boxes, each tuned to a differentchannel. An efficient scheme for routing the targeted content tospecific set-top boxes is therefore not as straightforward as it mightappear at first glance.

Some have proposed systems in which the targeted content is digitizedand sent to the set-top boxes in compressed form, well prior to itsdisplay. However, even a single promotion may require several hundredmegabytes of storage. These techniques therefore require each set-topbox to have a fairly large storage capacity, the cost of which might beprohibitive. And if such a distribution network were built usingstrictly standard data network protocols such as TCP/IP, the sheernumber of require connections could overload a central data servers androuters.

The present invention seeks to overcome these limitations by making useof idle video-on-demand channel capacity to deliver promotional contentto selected set-top boxes in the network. The set-top boxes are thenenabled to switch away during a commercial segment from the broadcastprogram to the available video-on-demand channel. The set-top boxes thenswitch back to the previously selected broadcast program at the end ofthe segment.

More specifically, a network configured in accordance with the inventionincludes a promotion server, a scheduler process, and a message routerlocated and/or controlled at a central location, head end locations thatinclude message servers, VOD servers, and trigger insertion equipment,and set-top boxes (STBs) located at subscriber premises that include atleast a message client process and a promotion agent process.

The promotion server determines an asset to be distributed such as atargeted promotion item (e.g., a commercial), and a list of STBs thatare to receive it. The promotion server causes the video promotion to besent to a VOD service so that it is available at the VOD servers at thehead ends.

The scheduler process then delivers schedule messages to the head endmessage servers which identify the promotion and an STB which is toreceive it. Receipt of a schedule message by the head end message servercauses its associated VOD server to cue the asset by loading the asset,and starting the asset, but pausing it so that the asset does not yetplay.

Prior to the occurrence of a commercial slot in a broadcast program, anasset trigger is inserted into the broadcast stream at the head end.This asset trigger contains general information concerning the asset tobe sent, and a VOD channel number. The STB receives the asset triggerand readies itself to tune to the VOD channel when it detects acommercial begin cue tone.

Upon detection of a commercial begin cue tone in the broadcast channel,the head end message server sends a tune away trigger to the STB, andalso instructs the VOD server to start playing the cued promotion. Whenthe STB receives the tune away trigger, it switches from the broadcastchannel being played to the selected VOD channel, and the promotion isviewed.

When a commercial end cue is detected in the broadcast channel, the headend message server instructs the STB to tune back be sending a tune backtrigger. The tune back trigger causes the STB to return to the broadcastchannel that was being watched prior to delivery of the promotion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of theinvention will be apparent from the following more particulardescription of preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated inthe accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer tothe same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are notnecessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustratingthe principles of the invention.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are a block diagram of a network in which promotion isdelivered using a video-on-demand channel according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a process flow diagram illustrating how the various elementsand processes in the system deliver the promotion.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A description of example embodiments of the invention follows.

1. The Promotion Delivery System Generally

Turning attention now to the drawings, FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate amultimedia content delivery system which delivers promotions using avideo-on-demand channel according to one embodiment of the presentinvention. The content delivery system may be any type of CableTelevision (CATV) network system which may include any type of HybridFiber Coax (HFC) physical cabling, or satellite equipment, or evendigital video content distribution systems based on Digital SubscriberLine (DSL) or broadband wireless technologies such as MicrowaveDistribution Services (MMDS).

The system includes a data center having a promotion server subsystem200 at which the promotion delivery process originates, and a cablesignal distribution network, including head end locations 300-1, . . . ,300-h for routing the promotions to a large number of network devices orset top boxes (STBs) 410 located at individual residences and othercable system subscriber locations 400-1, 400-2, . . . , 400-r, . . . ,200-x, 400-y, where respective video displays 450 are located. Thepromotions include promotional content that may be presented in variousmultimedia formats including compressed digital formats (MPEG 2 and 4),or praghical images compressed and uncompressed using standard formatssuch as JPEG, GIF or BMP. Promotions are used to advertise goods andservices, promote events, or present other commercial or non-commercialinformation.

The promotion server subsystem 200 located at the data centercommunicates with a promotion agent subsystem 430 embedded within eachof the STBs 410. The promotion server subsystem 200 and the promotionagent subsystems 430 may communicate with each other through the routingserver 230, data network 275, head end router 310, head end messageserver 320, and message clients 420 by using a combination ofapplication-level messaging and serialized bulk data transmissions.

In more detail, the promotion server subsystem 200 includes a databaseserver 210, a promotion manager server 220, a message routing server230, a promotion scheduler 240, and a bank of message routers 250. Thesecomponents are typically located at a central location in the multimedianetwork such as at a data center or head end, or divided between the twodepending on the density and population of STB devices 410.

The routers 250 communicate with the hea ends 300 through a data network275. The data network 275 may be a local area network, but dependingupon the geographic dispersion of the head ends 300, may itself includea wide area network having a further hierarchy of routers and bulkservers (not shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B). Ultimately, each of the STBdevices 410 is reachable through the data network 275 via an associatedhead end 300. In a typical cable television network, there may be manythousands of network devices 410 connected to a particular head end 300,and there may be many thousands of head ends 300.

Each head end 300 includes a number of devices and processes including ahead end message server 320, a trigger inserter 330, aVideo-on-Demand/Multimedia (VOD/streaming media) streaming server 340and associated storage device 350, and RF distribution equipment 370,which distributes broadcast video channels from a video distributionnetwork (not shown).

The head end router 310 sends and receives data messages to and from thepromotion server subsystem 200, routing them to and from the head endmessage server 320.

The head end message server 320 receives schedule messages indicatingthe schedule of promotions for particular STBs 410 connected to itsrespective head end 300-1. The hea end message server also transmits andreceives messages to the STBs 410 using an Out-of-Band (OOB), In-Band(IB), or broadcast trigger path over the cable network. The signalingused for data communication may be narrowband Quadrature Phase ShiftKeying (QPSK), or if high bandwidths are needs, may be QuadratureAmplitude Modulation (QAM).

Upon the occurrence of certain events, the head end message server 320also uses the trigger inserter 330 to insert trigger signals into the RFcable channel signals generated by the RF equipment 370. The use oftrigger signals is an additional expedient communication path forcritical cueing events.

The VOD/media server 340 is connected to receive and store VOD/streamingmedia content from a VOD distribution network (not shown) provideVOD/streaming media channels to the RF equipment. It should beunderstood that the VOD/streaming media content, which typicallyincludes premium programs such as movies or sporting events, in thisinstance also include promotions. The VOD/streaming media content can bestored in recorded form. If it originates in analog form, it istypically stored in a compressed digital format.

At least three signal paths are there present between the head end 300and the STBs 410, including a bi-directional data path for datamessages, a broadcast video stream including data in the VBI spectrum or“stuffed” into the private data segments of an MPEG stream, an analogvideo-on-demand channel or other available channel that providesstreaming media such as digital content channel.

To determine how to deliver targeted promotions to the network devices,the promotion server subsystem 200 generates viewership profiles foreach of the STBs 410 from data collected using a variety of statisticalmodels. The viewership profiles are then used to associate groups ofSTBs 410 with a particular given target promotion.

More particularly, the promotion server subsystem 200 periodicallycollects viewer usage data from the promotion agent subsystem 430located in each of the STBs 410 to generate viewership profiles. Intelevision networks, the data collected by the promotion serversubsystem 200 may include tuner data (i.e., a history of channelswatched) and responses to past promotions. This history is kept on arelatively fine time scale, such as five seconds. In this way, it can bedetermined how long a particular promotion was deployed, or even whichportions of a promotion or video program were viewed.

The so-called promotion groups are thus collections of STB devices 410whose individual viewership profiles match membership criteriondescribing a particular demographic or viewership history. For example,a promotion group may be demographically based, i.e., “married women intheir 30's with more than one school age child and a household income ofat least $100,0000,” or based on viewership history, i.e., “tends towatch the Golf Channel on Sunday afternoon.” Therefore, the promotiondelivery system 200 is adaptable to changes in viewer usage orviewership patterns by making adjustments to promotion groups. Theprocess for creation and selection of promotion groups is described inmore detail in the U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.60/253,488 filed Nov. 28, 2000, entitled “Using Viewership Profiles forTargeted Promotion Deployment” which is hereby incorporated by referencein its entirety.

Promotions are then scheduled for delivery to promotion groups ofspecific STBs 410 which may not all be connected to the same head end300. A promotion is scheduled for delivery to a promotion group by anadvertiser or service provider entering a scheduling request for apromotion such as via the promotion manager 220. The promotion managerserver 220 packages the promotion for delivery and by storing a recordof it in the database server 210, and notifying a video-on-demandservice (not shown) that the promotion content will be needed at theVOD/streaming media server 340 locations at the head ends 300.Typically, broadcast VOD content, such as movies, is more likelydistributed using Digital Audio Tape (DAT) which is sent by courier tothe various head end locations.

However, if a wide area data network is in place between the head endlocations and the central location, the promotion assets can bedistributed to the VOD/streaming media servers 340 using such a network.In such a case, the promotion information is read from the database 210by the scheduler 240 which then creates customized transmissionschedules that specify when each of the STBs 410 is to receive it. Uponreceipt of the transmission schedule messages, the promotion agent 430in each of the STBs 410 processes each schedule entry and waits for thedelivery of each promotion identified in the transmission schedule. Forfurther information concerning the use of a wide area network for thedistribution of promotions, and a specific protocol and format for suchpromotion data, reference should be made to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 60/253,369 filed Nov. 28, 2000, entitled“Synchronization of Bulk Data Transfers To End Node Devices In AMultimedia Network” which is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

2. Process for Delivery of Promotion Content Using Video-on-DemandChannel

Turning attention now to FIG. 2, a preferred embodiment of the processfor delivery of targeted promotion content will be described. Initiallythe system is in a idle state 500.

Moving to step 510, the promotion server 220 assigns promotion assets tospecific STBs 410, storing this information in the data base server 210.

Next, in step 520, the scheduler 240 determines that promotions are inneed of distribution, and reads the information in the database 210 tocreate individual transmission schedules. From the schedules are built alist of promotion schedule messages. A promotion schedule message istypically created for each instantiation of an expected playback of apromotion at a particular STB 410. The schedule message contains payloadfields identifying a promotion, the network address or other identifierof the individual STB which is to receive the promotion, and an expectedtime by which the promotion is to be delivered.

In step 530 the routing server 230 routes the schedule messages out overthe data network 275 to the intended head end 300 via the routers 250and 310.

Following that, in step 540 a particular schedule message arrives at themessage server 320. The message server in turn sends a message to itsassociated local VOD/media server 340 that a promotion is to be sent.

In step 545, this causes the VOD/streaming media server 340 to load theidentified asset, and cue the asset for playback, but without actuallystarting the playback at this time. The VOD/streaming media takes othersteps at this time, such as to identify a VOD/streaming media channelnumber on which the asset will be played, back to the message server320.

At this point, in step 548, the message server 320 also communicateswith the specific STB 410 indicated in the schedule message. Thismessage may include information about the asset such as an identifierwhich the promotion agent 430 in the STB may use to record the fact thatit was played. This message is sent over the OOB/IB data path to the STB410 as previously described.

After some period of time, a state 550 is entered which occurs a shorttime before a commercial break. In this state the message server causesan asset trigger to be inserted in the broadcast stream. This trigger,which may typically be sent in the Vertical Blanking Interval (VBI) asdefined in the ATVEF specification, or in other ways. For example, thetrigger may be placed in the private data segments of an MPEG stream, ifthe VOD/streaming media content is so formatted. In any event, the assettrigger contains text character, or other data indicating generalinformation identifying the upcoming promotion, and a VOD/streamingmedia channel number on which it will be played.

Next, a commercial cue is detected in the broadcast signal at the headend 300 as output by a digital ad insertion system typically located atthe insertion location in the broadcast network. Since only a fewVOD/streaming media channels will be used for the purpose ofdistributing promotions, the handful of such channels used for thispurpose can be monitored at the head end for such tones. Detection ofcommercial cue causes a tune away trigger to be sent, in step 560, fromthe head end 300 to the STB 410.

In turn, receipt of the tune away trigger causes the promotion agent 430in the STB 410 to switch to the indicated VOD/streaming media channel.At the same time, the message server 320 at the head end signals theVOD/media server 340 to begin playback of the promotion.

The STB may include circuits that blank an undesirable “pixelation”effect that may occur during channel switchover to the VOD/streamingmedia channel. Alternatively, other information such as channelinformation is displayed during switchover to the VOD/streaming mediachannel.

The promotion is then viewed at the STB 410 in state 565, until acommercial end tone is detected. At this point, in state 570, themessage server 320 instructs the promotion agent 430 in the STB 410 toreturn to the original broadcast channel, such as by sending anothertune back trigger.

1. In a cable television network system that connects set-top boxes(STBs) to receive broadcast program content from cable network head enddistribution points, a method for delivery of a promotional contentstream comprising the steps of: cueing a promotional content stream at astreaming media server to be played on a streaming media channel for aparticular STB, the streaming media server located at a cable networkhead end; sending a first trigger to the particular STB indicating thestreaming media channel number, but which does not cause the STB to yetswitch to the streaming media channel; sensing a commercial cue tonesignal in a broadcast channel being watched at the STB, the commercialcue tone indicating an upcoming start of commercial segment; sending asecond trigger to cause the STB to switch to the streaming media channelindicated by the first trigger; and beginning playback of thepromotional content stream.
 2. A method as in claim 1 wherein the STBstores a channel number being watched prior to playback of thepromotional content stream, and returns to the stored channel numberonce the promotional content stream ends.
 3. A method as in claim 1wherein pixelation that may occur during channel switchover to thestreaming media channel is blanked at the STB.
 4. A method as in claim 1wherein channel information is displayed during switchover to thestreaming media channel.